itsablog

someone please explain architecture
last modified: Tuesday, November 28, 2006 (3:14:43 AM)
I'm not an architect.

That being said, BS smells like BS anywhere you go in every discipline. Modern architecture, to a uncultured outsider such as myself, appears to be populated by three kinds of people:

1) Those who understand architecture as a study of carving out a space to suit a particular function in deference to the surroundings and whatever peculiar (and possibly misguided) taste the client has.

2) Those who view architecture as self-expression with complete disregard to, well, everything and everyone else.

3) Those who pretend to be one of the above but can't draw, create, or even imagine to save their own worthless lives.

The people who are Type 1 seem to be a dying breed, from what I can tell of flipping through catalogs of award-winning architecture from the past decade or so.

Type 2s seem to have all the fun. It seems the things that really create a lot of news are things which look like an angry Decepticon trying to hold very still or a futuristic alien bathtub. Type 3s, the hangers-on, seem to be more drawn to these designs because they look different and liking that crap makes them feel smart.

But would you really want to live/work there? What if you have to maintain one of those buildings? Would you really want to try washing windows that are upside down with sharp, pointy edges? In 20 years, won't the majority of these buildings look like the 1950s vision of flying cars?

For example, find a picture of the modern London skyline. Architects have a field day there all creating different styles for different clients. The city looks like crap. Each individual building might be interesting, but it's almost as if the Brits collectively assembled their city using five different Lego kits, a set of Duplo blocks, and some paper mache just to make sure there's no common thread amongst the lot. When Type 2s express their egos all at the same time, it's absolute mayhem.

To paraphrase the axiom that applies to all creative endeavor: Expressing simplicity in a complex way is idiocy. Expressing complexity in a simple way is genius.

So, what I want to know is, am I missing something? Are there any architects out there who can explain what I am missing or books I should read? Or is it all one big game of ignoring the needs of actual people, as I had feared?
re: someone please explain architectureTuesday, November 28, 2006 - 9:21:49 AM
JWR

While not being an architect myself I have seen quite a bit of what you are talking about. I have found a lot of the problems are more from the fact that there is no link between those with Brains & those with Money.
Type 1''s will stand up and rein in the wierder stuff while Type 2''s are working out of personal ego and push odd stuff to make a name for them selves. Type 3''s are just glad to work and will do what ever the client wants even if it leads to a disaster later on such as all the mansions being built on the sides of hills here in the outskirts of Los Angeles.


re: someone please explain architectureTuesday, November 28, 2006 - 12:47:06 PM
unicorngallery

"green architecture" is the only architecture that ever made sense to me... i wish there was more of it.


re: someone please explain architectureTuesday, November 28, 2006 - 1:41:23 PM
Shampoo

LMAO! XD
Having a few acquaintances that are architects I "had" to forward your weblog entry to them. It hits home so much when I see how the two of them act around ''other'' artists and their very large ego trips XD
It''ll be fun to see them get all huffy and puffy! Thanks for the great laughs!
If only I can see their squirming faces as they read the e-mail.. ahhh... ^.^
*mischievous grin*
I couldn''t agree more w/ ya Jason ^_~V
Especially about the type 2 that come up w/ impractical designs.